Social Justice in Education

Education serves to help people understand the world around them and interact effectively with their society. To that end, I do not believe one's education can be complete without some understanding of social justice.

Regardless of your identity or place in the world, topics of social justice shape everything from personal interactions to the opportunities you have. We are all participants in society, and social justice helps us understand the mechanisms of that society. For example, we might become aware of how our implicit biases inform our choices, or learn why certain laws and policies exist. To go one step further, knowing about these issues allows us to make decisions we believe in, and that can contribute positively to society. We might buy books from independent bookstores, or take public transportation more. Social justice is not just for career advocates or politicians. By its very nature, it is an important subject for everyone.

In schools, I think social justice can be taught implicitly as well as explicitly. For example, I mentioned Euro-centric history in my previous blog post. Teaching in a way that values all cultures can help instill in students ideas of equality and diversity, and establish habits of thinking deeper about the world and the lenses through which we see it. In order to be effective, social justice must be practiced as well as taught in education.

According to an article by Human Rights Careers, "Instead of ignoring very real-world issues such as sexism, racism, poverty, and more, a social justice education framework addresses it and encourages students to exercise analytical thinking." Issues of social justice forever permeate our world. As education teaches us how to engage positively and productively in the world, social justice cannot be ignored.

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